


Fear Itself

by Sour_Girl



Category: Monster Prom (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, And yet, And you learn that most monsters aren't nearly as scary as humans make them out to be, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Human/Monster Bonding, I don't want to give the story away but I have to tag the triggers aaaaaaah, Murder, Near Death Experiences, Oz learns that humans aren't as bad as he's been led to believe, Sexual Harassment, but most importantly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-02 02:26:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16296509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sour_Girl/pseuds/Sour_Girl
Summary: The days of spooky high school are over and now it’s time for spooky /college/. In order to graduate and become a fully fledged, successful monster, all monsters must successfully complete their final project in scaring.No problem for the literal embodiment of fear itself, right? Unfortunately for Oz, his natural talent requires an appropriate challenge... you. As a chronic sufferer of night terrors and sleep paralysis, you have at least one thing going for you... Nothing seems to phase you anymore.With years of experience, and now surviving Grad School, will fear itself be the /only/ thing you have to worry about?





	1. Chapter 1

“ _I can do this_ ”, Oz made a small pumping gesture, psyching himself up for his final test. At first he was less than excited, to say the least, to hear he _had_ to partake in this final project. But then again, everyone else had to too, so he supposed that made up for it.

After the first few assignments, Oz had proved to his instructors that they were correct in enrolling him for his natural gift at scaring compared to the rest. But of course, a specialty monster needs a specialty challenge…

Enter you, a young college student on your way to a Doctorate in Psychology. Unlike most of your fellow peers, sleep had always been your worst enemy ever since you were young. Night terrors and sleep paralysis aren’t things easily explained by science, but as a kid and even as a teen, stupid dreams about giving a speech on hot dogs to the entire student body while in your undies, was negligible on the scale of scary when compared to having some Lovecraftian horror in your room stalking up to you in the dead of night all while you can’t even scream. 

Needless to say, that got old fast. 

Sure the monsters and scare tactics changed, but after a while each time would just remind you of that one time… or the that _other_ time, when it was even scarier or worse then whatever, _this_ was. It was almost like a game of matching… 

Then one day, it all stopped.

No more shadow demons. No more waking nightmares. When you were younger, you liked to joke that monsters just liked you, but now that you’d built up something of a tolerance, maybe now _they_ were bored of _you._

Of course that was all well and good, especially now that you were going through grad school. Let’s just say, you didn’t need sleep to experience nightmares. 

Anyway, at least one of your old theories was correct. There’s only so many species of monster, and as you became more and more… _bored,_ so also grew with it the challenge within the monster community to try and successfully scare you. The only trouble was, if the greatest thing a human can fear is death, how do you scare one who has abandoned all capacity to care? 

Frustrating as it had been, the game had changed.

Because now… _Now,_ the monsters had Oz. Back in High School, nobody was really sure what he was or where he came from. He wasn’t an undead type, or any known mythological/legendary type, and definitely not any of the loosely defined “beast” types. He was just… _Oz._

That is, until someone bothered to ask him about it. 

As the self identifying “Anthropomorphic Personification of Fear”, the initial response was something along the lines of an uproarious “Yeah right”. If he truly was something as insanely old, not to mention _powerful,_ as fear itself… How was he so (from what they could tell) young looking? Why would he bother attending a school about being a monster at all? If the main purpose of a monster is, among other things, to cause as much fear surrounding themselves as possible, thus wishing to be even _close_ to the legendary embodiment of fear itself... wouldn’t that make Oz something like an _ancient god?_

To which Oz responded by sort of huddling down and trying, yet failing, to give a coherent, non stutered response to the torrent of accusing questions. 

Clearly this wasn’t going anywhere, so hey, the kid says he’s fear itself? Why not. Stranger things have happened. Besides, the fears of humans and monsters alike are always changing, right? Maybe the avatar of fear is… _reborn,_ or something, every couple centuries.

Over time, Oz had plenty of opportunities to prove his word. And prove he did. After all, look where he was now! He graduated top of his class, got into one of the most prestigious colleges imaginabe, and had _just_ been assigned one of the most difficult cases in the area.

\---

It was prime time for terrifying humans. Pitch black out, around 1am, and this student was sleeping alone in her cheap, run down apartment. Oz had his plan all ready: First, get up close. Like, _right_ beside the bed. Second, lean over a little for effect and say something to wake her up. But like, something creepy to make it sound like he’s been standing there for a while. Then she screams, his advising instructor gets the notification, and then all he has to do is make his exit. 

If he can pull this off, maybe he’ll be able to graduate early!

Oz materialized beside where you lay in bed. _Step one complete._ Next, he exhaled. _I’ve got this!_ Fear leaned over your sleeping form, his echoing voice entering your mind and jarring you out of your sleep. “ _S-sleeping well?_ ”, ...not exactly the delivery he wanted, but hopefully the tone was menacing enough to make up for it. Ah well, the real effect would take place when you opened your eyes. According to the rules, all he needed was for you to either scream or cry (in terror of course) and he could go. 

Admittedly, he really didn’t want you to cry though… He wasn’t like that.

Oz fixed his eyes and eyebrows into what he hoped would be perceived as an intimidating glare as your eyes creeped open. First, just a crack, then you blinked them open and scanned him with appraising eyes.

Ok, kinda weird Oz thought, but you probably just weren’t awake enough to be scared yet. Yeah, that was it, just a few seconds and…

“Nice cardigan”, was all you said before nonchalantly closing your eyes. 

Oz blinked once. “Oh, uh thanks! But um-”

You stopped listening. Seriously though, _what in the fresh hell?_ Forget the Mr. Rogers sweater, the thing was sunshine, early spring _yellow._ Never before had you seen such a sorry excuse for a shadow monster. Sad, really, that this was the best your sleep deprived mind could come up with to “scare” you. Maybe you should cut back your shift hours… 

Oz put his hands on his hips indignantly while you began to doze off again right in front of him. “H-hey! Wait, I just need you to, um-- Uh, excuse me?”, Oz tapped an inky finger on your shoulder. He was going to lose points for actually _touching_ you, but better a low score then complete failure. 

The cold of his finger bit into you like a weaponized icicle as your eyes shot open in a look somewhere between surprise and confusion. You bolted upright into a sitting position, giving the subversive shadow guy your now fully awake attention. Sure, you’d seen plenty of funky looking monsters doing creepy things in your room, but _very_ rarely had they ever actually _touched_ you. But when they did… it felt nothing like _that._

He looked about as surprised as you were as you looked him over again, now with fresh eyes. To be honest, there was a good chance that you would have actually been scared right now… but god, that sweater/dress shirt combo. Also, was that… a _watch?_ The shadow monster drew back a little, hands pulled up in something like a defensive position, as his bushy white eyebrows conveyed his nervous surprise.

Finally, you broke the silence, “Wait. Are you… _real?_ ”

Oz relaxed a little, hearing your voice go up an octave at the revelation. Oh, thank goodness.

His fluffy eyebrows jumped back down into his intimidating glare, as he menacingly raised ghostly black fingers. “ _YeEEeEesSssSs…_ ”, his voice mimicking that of a “scary” Scooby-Doo villain. 

At that point, you were mostly just trying no to laugh. ...Seriously?

This was his last chance. In order to have any hope of saving this test grade, he needed you to really, actually, freak out. Determined to succeed, Oz pushed aside his feelings of self consciousness and revealed his huge, terrible maw. Black ink dripped off of row, after row of needle sharp fangs and long, appendage like tongue, before he shrieked a telepathic roar into your mind, shaking his head and sending flecks of black slobber flying for an extra touch.

Your eyes went wide as saucers and your mouth fell open.

 _Yesyesyes!_ Oz felt a weight off his shoulders. Surely, now your were terrified.

...Or not. 

“Shshsh! _Would you shut up!_ ”, Your one hand found Oz’s chin, with the other somehow finding purchase to grab his shadowy hair, as they clamped together, forcing the mouth shut with only a little tip of his tongue caught outside. 

Whatever this thing was going to do to you for doing _this_ would definitely be better then having to answer to your neighbors, landlord, and most likely the Police, as to why there was blood curdling screams coming from your apartment at 1:30 in the morning. 

Of course, you didn’t know that you were the only one that could hear him, which is why you were quite surprised to hear the same shrieking in your mind a few seconds afterwards. Even more surprising still, the sound was replaced with one that most young men would certainly not be proud of. A pitiful whimpering noise filled your ears as a thin white line streaked down from the corner of the monster’s squinted eye. _What?_

Then it hit you. A mouth of 100 teeth doesn’t just disappear. Obviously now it was closed, and then part of the tongue was out here… Oh. _Uh oh._ Given the situation, the answer was so normal, it was almost weird. He bit his tongue. Except, with several rows of teeth. 

_Ouch._

You gently released his head, cringing a little. Despite the fact that he had just tried to scare you out of your skin, you felt a little bad for him. I mean, this kinda was your fault.

Oz quickly and suddenly phased backwards through thin air, tongue disappearing into his mouth. Not only had he nearly bit his own tongue into pieces, but he had been touched by a _human._ And when humans touch monsters… they only want _one thing._ He could’ve _died_ just now! Though he wasn’t sure how she would’ve accomplished that with her bare hands, he didn’t want to hang around to find out.

The shadow boy sniffed, accompanied by a surprisingly human look of hurt from what you assumed where his tear streaked eyes as he stared at you in silence. There was an overwhelming noise like radio static in your ears, and then, just like that, the sweater wearing shadow was gone.

\---

Oz materialized back into his manager’s office on college grounds. The old monster, tossed some stapled paper work to Oz from across the desk. She’d been keeping track of the whole exchange in your room, and the grade was in… and it wasn’t good.

Points deducted for: Poor initial contact, failing to induce an appropriate initial reaction, touching the subject, showing injury/fear in the presence of a human, sloppy exit. Oz looked at his score with wide eyes. He’d _never_ gotten such a low score before… _Let alone failed!_

“Look kid, don’t feel too bad. Nobody’s been able to scare her for years, so if you’d like an easier assignment, we have a couple optio-”

Just like that, she wanted him to change assignments? _To someone easier?_ No way. The Anthropomorphic Personification of Fear does _not_ need something “easier”. He just needed to try again, he was sure of it! Oz cut off her rambling speech, “W-wait! Can I try again? Um, _please?_ ”

The Seer stopped abruptly, and stared at him in confusion. “...Are you _sure?_ If you stick to her, you’re locked in until _you_ scare her. Think about this, it could _really_ throw off your graduation schedule.”, She warned.

But he didn’t need to think about it. So far, Oz had had a perfect track record for scaring, and he was determined to patch it up. “ _I’m sure!_ ”

She fixed him with her blind eyed stare, but signed in uncaring resignation. After all, _his_ life was _so_ not her problem. “Alright… “, The Seer stamped a document, and then burned it over a weirdly colored fire. “You’re all set. Good luck, you’ll need it”, she added grimly.


	2. Chapter 2

The following day, you trudged your way to class, exhausted from both a late night and terrible sleep. Up until now, you’d always had complete faith that monsters were nothing but fairy tales meant to scare children. Vampires, Werewolves, Ghosts, all of that was nothing more than a gimmick for Halloween and cheesy romance novels. But… 

All that stuff from last night _had_ to have been real! 

Everything about him was different from your previous encounters with “monsters”. His look, his touch, the fact that he was still around even after you were fully awake… But then again, who’s to say it wasn’t just like a _really_ vivid dream? You didn’t need to be a psychologist in training to know that such powerful lucid dreaming would leave you tired the next morning. 

You cleared the thoughts from your head as you entered the auditorium style classroom, preparing yourself to focus as much as possible. That would all have to wait.

\---

As much as you loved your degree, you hated this class. Not so much for the material being taught, but more so for the people there within. Or really, just one. Devon and his friends had been the bane of your existence ever since you had the misfortune of being put in a group project with Devon himself. 

He kinda had this thing for you, and he sure had one hell of a way expressing it. He liked to pick on you in a “boys only tease you to show that they like you” kind of way, except the picking on was less ‘in an innocent school boy way’, and more like a ‘was never told no enough’ way.

He was annoying sure, but thankfully he hadn’t actually _done_ anything to you, so there really wasn’t anything to report. You made a beeline to a seat as far away from him as you could, ignoring him and his friends as they called out to you. 

Mercifully, the professor walked in and the room went silent as class began. You rested your chin on your hand as the sounds of obnoxious snickering could be heard from across the room. As weird as it felt to say it, you would take the shadow boy over those freaks _any_ day.

\---

The lecture ended soon enough, and you took your usual back way out of the building in order to avoid the crowd as much as possible. It was one of the smaller buildings, so the hallway and staircase was pretty narrow and a little dimmer than you’d like, but the tight space didn’t bother you. It was almost kinda nice actually, sort of like your apartment. Your mind wandered to nice thoughts of your cozy abode as you threw open the stairwell door and entered.

Just as you were about to start making your way down the staircase, the door abruptly slammed shut behind you, and the lights flickered. 

You whipped around, startled by the door, to come face to face with… _him._ Standing in the corner, feet apart and fists balled up at his sides was the exact same shadow creature from last night. 

It was one thing to see shadow people at night, eerily blending in with your pitch black room, but seeing this one completely framed by the, albeit low, fluorescent lights was just… weird. 

Not one to pass up an opportunity, you took stock of what you were seeing. Since monsters were, apparently, _very_ real, now was a golden chance to study at least one. He was wearing the exact same clothes as last night (and yes, yes that _was_ a watch) as well as actual pants, though they were just a different shade of black, and some type of shoes that were covered up by the same inky stuff that seemed to make up his body. 

His build was pretty lanky, but not as terrifyingly so as the other shadow people you remembered. In fact with his body, those clothes, and what you assumed was his hair cut, he kinda looked like he could pass for a guy from one of your classes, if he had been a human, of course. 

Still, you took a step backwards, surprised and forgetting your surroundings, as your foot now precariously teetered on the edge of the cement staircase. 

The shadow unclenched his fists in surprise, “Woah, wait!” Oz phased directly in front of you, grabbing your biceps and pulling you back on the landing with effortless strength before you could fall all the way. 

“Are you ok?”, he said with what looked to you like it would’ve been a worried expression. But before you could confirm your suspicions, he backed off a step or two and changed expressions. 

“I mean, uh- You and I have unfinished business!”, after a delayed reaction, he jumped back into his ‘feet apart and finger pointing ominously’ stance. 

You blinked, trying to process. He... _saved you?_ “Look, I’m sorry about your tongue, but I can’t do this right now, ok?” In what some might consider a lapse of judgement, you turned your back on the monster and headed down the stairs. You made it to the ground floor and turned towards the exit doors when the shadow monster materialized again from the corner next to you. You gasped and took a step back, surprised by the jump scare.

Oz threw his hands up in the air, staring at you accusingly, “Oh come on, that doesn’t count!” 

Before you could ask what that meant, the exit door flew open in front of you. 

“Well well, look who it is!”, Devon leaned against the door that he had opened, giving you a glimpse of the one or two of his friends that were with him. “Where are you hurrying off too? See, I have this _thing_ and I was kinda hoping you could… _help_ me out…”, he smirked as the others laughed in a way that told you, you definitely did _not_ want to “help”. 

One of the others yanked the other double door open, hoping to reveal more of you to the rest of the gang, but was met with something quite different…

Oz had adapted to the situation and adopted an aggressive stance and shrieked a horrible, nerve fraying roar. Apparently _this time_ others could both see _and_ hear him too. The boys responded with shrieks of their own, followed by strings of confused cursing and then, a frenzied retreat.

Oz crossed his arms judgmentally, “Geez, what _creeps._ ”

You turned to stare at the shadow boy, both in awe of what you’d just witnessed and wondering if shadow people had a sense of irony. 

Oz turned to you slowly, “Anyway-” He stopped short as you bolted all the way to your apartment. All this, and it wasn’t even noon… 

\---

You slammed the door behind you after you had _finally_ gotten the key in just right. Dropping your bag beside you, you slid down to the floor. Ugh, this was the _last_ thing you needed. First you had the general stress of college, then your nigh terrors, then these increasingly bold stunts from Devon, and now you had to not only deal with an actual, _real monster_ , but also live with the knowledge that apparently monsters were a real thing.

You sniffed and wiped an eye, before dropping your head into your hands.

“Hey, ar-are you ok?”, a tentative voice asked. 

You turned your blurry tear filled vision to see the shadow boy sitting beside you, just a few inches away. Having, weirdly enough, been able to recognize his voice, you weren’t at all surprised. His fluffy white eyebrows fell in concern at the sight of you crying. He scratched the back of his head, before pointing away with his thumb, “Um, I can come back later, if you want.”

You dried one eye and smiled in spite of yourself. Whatever this thing was, you had to admit he was kinda cute, in an endearingly awkward kind of way… Man, you never thought you’d call a literal, mostly faceless, _nightmare monster,_ “cute”. After a moment's hesitation, you decided to sate your curiosity once and for all and raised a shaking hand out to him. Maybe he wasn’t so bad? 

Oz looked you up and down with big, hollow eyes before accepting your innocent gesture of curiosity. His tar black hand rose up to meet your own, shadowy fingers interlocking with yours in a way that felt almost human. His hand was worlds warmer then you remembered it from last time, and your face fell somewhat in the confusion of it.

“Oh sorry, is that not what you were going for?”, Oz asked. 

Before you could ask, _again,_ what that was supposed to mean, he gently grabbed your wrist and slapped your hand awkwardly to his face. Not really what you were going for a few minutes ago but while in the mood of “sating curiosity”, why pass it up? 

Right away, you noticed his face was completely smooth. Nothing that would indicate a nose, lips, cheekbones, or even eye sockets. You slid your hand up to his “hair” while he sat calmly, allowing you to proceed. Even though the fluffy looking locks appeared to be made out of exactly the same material as whatever his “skin” was made of, it reacted just like hair, parting easily as you ran your fingers through it.

You spent two or three mesmerizing seconds practically petting his hair, before reality brought you back to the situation at hand. The shadow boy rocked in time with your strokes, eyes closed as he savored the sensation. 

Then, you stopped.

Oz blinked his eyes open, “Is something wrong?”, he quirked up an eyebrow inquisitively.

You wanted to share a laugh at how surprisingly expressive this faceless creature was, but instead opted to answer his question with one of your own. “What _are_ you?”, you asked rather bluntly, but in all seriousness.

“The Anthropomorphic Personification of Fear.”, without missing a beat, he replied proudly. “But you can call me Oz.” What passed for his face jumped into what you could only assume was his version of a smile, accompanied by a hearty thumbs up.

You couldn’t contain yourself as you burst out, literally laughing in the face of fear. 

_Oz?_ As in… _Oswald?_ Ozzie? Ozzy-wozzy? That sounded more like the name of some nerdy, braces, suspenders, and comically thick glasses sporting kid from an 80’s era middle school, not the self proclaiming aspect of fear itself. Geez, and then that _“thumbs up”._ To be quite honest, you couldn’t even remember the last time you’d seen _anyone_ who wasn’t over the age of 35 use a thumbs up unironically.

You coughed and wiped a tear from your face before you tried to hide your embarrassment. It had been a long time since anything, let alone any _one_ , had made you laugh like this. After all the stress you’d been under lately, this was exactly what you needed.

Meanwhile, Oz sat paralyzed as he watched this display. In a flash of speed, he retracted his thumbs up towards his body, covering one hand with the other. Oz stuttered for words, pleading with you and trying to assure that he hadn’t meant to offend you, clearly not seeing any other possible reasoning behind such an intense display of emotion.

You sniffed, and finished drying your eyes as one final hiccuping laugh escaped. Though you knew it served no purpose but symbolism, you gently placed a hand over where his mouth would’ve been while pressing a lone finger to your lips, shushing him. You assuaged his concerns stating that he didn’t do anything wrong, and furthermore, he didn’t need to be sorry for making you laugh.

Rather then being consoled as you had hoped, Oz seemed to wilt a little, especially at the “making you laugh” part. 

You debated asking if _he_ was ok, but instead removed your hand from his face and asked what had been weighing on you more heavily, “Why are you here, Oz?” You felt like you were holding some kind of séance over here.

Oz scratched his jaw and looked away, trying to find the words. He felt pretty sure that he shouldn’t tell you that he was here on an assignment to scare you, but… He didn’t want to be _rude_ and just ignore the question either.

Fear crossed his arms and puffed out his skinny chest a little, trying to look either more impressive or just more intimidating. You couldn’t tell, but either way, it wasn’t working. “I’m here to _scare_ you”, he said determinedly. 

You sort of wanted to laugh at him again, but seeing as how he was trying so hard to be confident, you decided against it. Not that the statement itself _wasn’t_ laughable. _Him_ scare _you?_ You would almost argue that the exact inverse of that scenario has played out more than a few times since the two of you had been acquainted, and yet hardly even _once_ in the way that he’d phrased it. 

“But... why? Are you trying to tell me I’m cursed or something?”, you gave a half hearted laugh at the absurdity of what you’d just said. 

But then, here you were talking to Fear itself, so...

Oz blinked at you, seemingly taking a moment to consider his response. Was he even _allowed_ to tell you about the situation? To be honest, he was surprised to have even made it _this_ far without having been recalled for holding something of a whole conversation with you. But, then again the in that thought was that he _had_ made it this far. _What was the harm?_

Oz filled you in on the assignment from _his_ college, and how he was _this_ close to graduating, but you where his “final project.” You, one of the toughest humans to scare in the area. “So if you could just scream in terror real quick, I can be on my way. Fear clasped his hands together, his eyes smiling. 

You opened your mouth, another question prepared, but you had hardly finished taking a breath before the shadow boy vanished in a black cloud of smoke.


	3. Chapter 3

Next thing he knew, Oz he was sitting in a cold, metal chair. Clearly back at the university, but most definitely not the Seer’s office.

“Mr. Phobos…”, echoed the thousand, whispery voices of the Dean himself. 

The Dean was a monster all of his own, a massive creature, shaped almost like a human but made out of the warped and agonized faces of hundreds of humans. The faces seemed to be in a constant state of fear and pain, but made no noise or movement except to give voice to the thoughts and whispers of the Dean.

Oz gulped, shrinking back against his rusted chair. If he was here, then something had gone _very_ wrong…

The Dean leaned forward, clasping his terrifying hands together. “Do you know why you’re here?”

Oz took in a shaking, shallow breath “Um, n-no?”, he lied.

Two random faces on the Dean's body begin to talk replicating you and Oz’s conversation, perfectly mimicking your exact voices, up until, “... Monster College, where all the other monsters learn to be their scariest.”, came Oz’s exact voice. The eyes covering the Dean's body squinted in unison. “Do you have any idea what you've done?”, He was eerily calm.

Oz scratched his jaw nervously, trying to form a sentence, but the Dean spoke for him, “I'm told by the Seer that this isn't the first time you've broken code of conduct when engaging humans. Not only have you held an extensive conversation, in broad daylight no less, but you’ve also managed to expose all monster kind to our worst enemy.”, the Dean leaned back in his chair. “And to think... You were such a promising student…” The dean pulled out a sheet of paper and begins signing it in various places.

“Wh-what's that?”, Oz’s voice grew tense.

“Mister Phobos, in lieu of these breaches of conduct, as the active Dean of this facility, I have no choice but to expel you. I’m sorry, but these are grave issues that I simply cannot allow.”, the Dean leaned forward over his desk hissing terribly as the shallow, whispering voices of a thousand faces echoed within Oz’s head 

_Expulsion?_ No. Oh no. If he was kicked out of the monster community, he’d have absolutely no protection in the world of humans. 

Normally whenever a monster was in danger of being destroyed or harmed at the hands of humans, they can easily retreat back into the safety of their own realm thanks to the protection provided as a perk for successfully graduating, but if they have been expelled or discharged in some other un-honorary fashion, they’re left exposed to the mercy of humanity...

“Wait!”, Oz was frantic. _He couldn't lose this!_ “There has to be some way I can make this up!”

The Dean pulled out a large, red rubber stamp and held it over the sheet of paper. All the Dean’s eyes turn their attention to Oz, boring holes in his body. “Too late.” And just like that, with the same sudden speed he had been pulled out of the human world, he was immediately thrust back in. 

\--

Oz laid on his back staring up into the cold night sky in a human town. he sat up and rubbed his head as he looked around, only confirming he didn't know where he was. So, that was it? One little slip up, _an accident_ , and his entire existence was ruined? 

Oz hugged himself as tears of panic streamed down his face. He cracked open his cavernous mouth to take in a slow, shaky breath attempting to calm himself down, but achieving the exact opposite. A low, distorted whine came out of Oz's monstrous mouth as his eyes shut and his tears fell at full force, his body shaking. Oz curled in on himself leaning back against the wall of the Apparently that he was stuck in.

It was nearly an hour before Oz was able to recompose himself. He wiped his eyes, trying to pull himself together again. He couldn’t give up now! Not yet, anyway. There had to be _something_ he could do. He just needed a good plan… Oz wheezed and sniffled to himself, getting the last of his anxiety out as he thought everything out.

Maybe... Maybe if he could do things over and prove to everyone back home that banishing him was a mistake… Well, they’d _have_ to take him back, right? And if the only thing that made a monster valuable was being the best tool to intimidate humans with, then he’d just have to prove himself again. _But how?_ Oz thought about it for a long while before coming face to face with the obvious answer.

Back in the monster realm, you were the big prize right? A legend compared to most other humans. If he could just finish what started this whole mess, they really _would_ have to take him back! 

Oz set his half face to one of stoic determination and stood up. He soon found out that he couldn’t instantly teleport wherever he wanted anymore, but the short bursts he _was_ allowed would do...

\---

Several days have passed since you last saw the shadow boy. During that time, a small part of you seemed dedicated to wondering what happened to him. Or if he was even real. 

But unfortunately, all your weird but happy daydreams had to be pushed aside thanks to a new problem. Devon and his lackeys had started to become more and more bold as the weeks went by. You filed a report with the school administration, but all that had achieved was forcing Devon to become more creative in the places and times that he confronted you. Your friends tried to tell him off, and have your back, but as you talked with other boys, even just friends, and ignored him, it all added up to a dangerous form of jealousy within him... 

You were in your room inside your apartment tearing up Devon's latest provocative little love note, deeply considering calling the police and putting a definitive end to his wanton harassment, when a familiar shade materialized in the corner of your vision. 

After all this time, Oz had finally come back to you. 

During your dealings with Devin things had been stressful to say the least and during those times and couldn't help but be drawn back to the brief yet enjoyable time you had spent with Oz. From the time he appeared in your room wearing that ridiculous Sunshine yellow sweater, to the time when he chased off Devon and his little gang for you, to the last time you had seen him when he, albeit unknowingly, comforted you on the floor of your apartment. 

Despite every nerve in your body telling you the feelings were unnatural and something you should probably be ashamed of, you couldn't help but feel… _Something,_ just at the thought of your shadow boy. Especially now as you were greeted by those familiar, hollow eyes and matching fluffy eyebrows.

“Oz?!”, You called to him, ready to leap off your bed in excitement. 

But Oz just stood there in the corner, completely unresponsive as he watching you silently. The lights in your room flickered once as you called him again, this time a question in your voice. You cocked your head and blinked once, surprised to open them and see Oz had now moved to the edge of your bed. You jumped back against your meager headboard, slightly afraid, but mostly of confused. “Oz?”,You called again.

Oz’s arms remained limp at his sides, his gaze empty. The ceiling light above you began to flicker again, darker this time, as a deep buzzing sound built from inside your head. You blinked at the dull pain all the stimulus caused. Surely Oz was doing this, but _why?_ You looked back again to where Oz was standing to see that he had now phased on to the foot of your bed, leaning in a crouch as if ready to spring an attack.

“Oz? What are you doing?”, you almost wanted to laugh at the unusualness his actions, but the eerie silence and jerking movements that he was exhibiting left you with a building, foreboding fear. All of a sudden, you shivered as the room seem to grow cold, “Y- you're scaring me...”, Now flush against the pillows of your headboard you blinked once more and opened your eyes to find yourself face to face, with fear itself.

Oz’s face was mere inches away from yours as he leaned over your lap. “Good”, he breathed in a whisper not unlike the nightmarish faces of the Dean himself. The lights flickered one last time before they went off for good leaving you staring into the wide, bright abyss that were Oz's eyes. 

Your breath hitched in your throat as you open your mouth. 

_This was it, and so easy too…_

Until you subverted Oz’s expectations yet again. You laughed, pushing him off you, before clapping your hands and turning the lights back on. “Where have you _been?_ ”, unfazed as if the past few minutes had all been no more than a game to you. 

Oz landed back in his position on the foot of the bed, propped up on his arms and staring at you in disbelief. 

Rather than answering, one white line made its journey down Oz’s face, soon followed by another in the other eye. Oz shook his head from left to right slowly, ignoring your question.

“Hey, what's wrong?”, you leaned forward ever so slightly from your position on the bed, reaching out to him like one might a lost child. 

Oz didn’t even bother to cover his face as the white streaks from the corner of his eyes widened ever-so-slightly, accompanied by a distorted, choking sound that sounded to you almost like that of sobbing. With what you assumed were tears streaming down his face, Oz pointed an accusing finger in your direction. 

“Th- this is a-all your ff-fault.”, he said, though strangely enough, you could barely understand his telepathic speech through the shaking sobs that racked his body. “Why can't you be like other humans? You could have just been scared that _one night_ when we first met and I could have left you alone... _But no!_ Now I'm stuck here...”, Oz’s mouth cracked open sucking in a shaky breath, “ _...forever!_ ”, Oz seemed as though he was barely able to get out the final word as, as soon as he had his maw open further and his eyes squeezed shut as he sat there emitting that same creepy, distorted choking sound at full force. 

You had no earthly idea what he was talking about, but whatever it was was clearly upsetting him. As if on cue, Oz turned to swing his legs over the side of your bed, cradling his face in his hands as he continued to cry bitterly.

The first few moments of your initial encounter tonight were still fresh in your mind, but… You couldn’t leave him like this. Fighting against your better judgment, you crawled slowly across the mattress, taking a seat beside him. Oz angled himself away from you, burying his face further into his hands, determined to remain in his own little world. 

“I can come back later, if you want”, you quoted back to him, followed by a half hearted laugh.

Oz’s crying stalled out a little, almost like he wanted to laugh at your dumb joke, but otherwise he didn’t react. 

You tentatively scooted closer still, running your fingers through is soft hair in a rhythmic, calming gesture. Oz flinched, but didn’t pull away. “Do you want to… talk?”, you almost couldn’t believe you were here comforting a living nightmare. But then again… Your thoughts went back to the good times. _Had he not proven himself as something more?_

Oz sniffed, wiping at the white tear trails marking his face, causing them to disappear at his touch. He turned his gaze towards you, limited facial features were angled in a sort of disappointed fashion that you found hard to describe. Regardless, you pulled away a little, just so you could face him properly. 

“You know… I uh, I missed you”, you said.

Fear closed his eyes and shook his head before turning it away, “Please don’t say that…”

His words hit you like a slap to the face… He _didn’t_ want to hear you’d missed him? _That you’d been thinking about him?_ You cleared your throat, hoping it would have a similar effect on your mind. But then, you supposed it would make sense that he didn’t feel the same way as you. After all, you’d told yourself as much a thousand times before. Besides, from the way he told it, you were just another job.

“I got expelled.” Oz’s voice infiltrated your mind, breaking up your rampant thoughts. _Expelled!?_ Admittedly, you were still pretty unclear on how “Monster College” worked, but the act of being “expelled” definitely seemed to be universally bad. At least now you knew why he was so upset…

“Because of _you!_ ”, Oz whipped his head around to face you, eyes locked into a sneer.

“ _What?_ ”, you asked, unable to suppress your confusion.

Oz sniffed and wiped his eye again, before sighing despondently. You offered a sympathetic look, hoping to encourage him to divulge the story behind the accusation. 

He started off sounding angry, though now you understood why, but the facade was short lived as the story went on. Oz told you everything, from the first night you two had met, to his call back to The Seer’s office, to all his overindulgent interactions with you, and finally to his big call up to the Dean.

As he finished, you could hardly find the words. You could see how monsters in a higher position of power would want to keep their little dimension a secret from humans, but _please._ As if Oz telling one little human girl about the monster realm was going to put their entire reality into some kind of line of fire! There was no way that could be the case...

Finally Oz told you about the plan and his desperation. How maybe if he could just complete his final test and scare you, then they would take him back. However, it only took coming back to you again for him to realize the futility of his situation. By taking the time to befriend you with those long talks, he’d only damned himself by letting you get too comfortable around him. Like all the several other monsters before him from you nightmares, any potential for him being scary had long since drained away.

“Don't worry, you won't have to see me again.”, he said, beginning to phase out of your room.

“Wait!” As crazy as it was, you didn't Oz to leave. You had completely meant what you said earlier when you claimed to miss him, and now that he was stuck here in your world you couldn't bear to see him go and leave you again.

Oz paused, and in an instant he reform back into his usual self looking at you expectantly. 

“Y- you could stay here if you want…” a little bold of you to suggest, sure, but this could be your chance... Maybe you could convince him that humans and monsters didn’t _have_ love monsters! It would be kinda like a psychological experiment, right? Not that you would _make_ him love you, of course, but maybe just show a little empathy and interest and then… 

Oz looked at you with wide eyes, taken by surprise at your suggestion. Of course he was more than happy to take you up on it, especially seeing as he really did have nowhere else to go. 

After an awkward exchange of questions about whether or not shadow monsters even sleep, the two of you resorted to making up a little bed for him on the couch a few feet away in the living room of your studio apartment. 

When you went to sleep that night, you found yourself feeling happier than you had in a long, long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait guys, just been busy, but I'm back!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you know all those pesky warning tags up there that haven't really come in yet? Yeah, this is it. Reader discretion advised!

The two of you spent every spare moment you could together. 

As strange as it was to be sheltering a monster, but it felt good too. You would work on some homework, and he would offer a surprising amount of knowledge or intrigue on certain subjects. You’d cook or bake something on slow, boring days, and Oz wold pop out of tiny drawers or cabinets and hand you that one bowl or spatula you needed. When you came home from a long and trying shift, Oz was always there for you, ready to cheer you up or help you relax. Sometimes Oz would follow you out to your late classes, or when you went out for walks at night, but usually stayed in the apartment during the day. 

This arrangement went on for several weeks longer than you had ever anticipated, but you were enjoying every strange minute. it wasn't long before Oz became a true friend to you. Maybe even, if you dared to hope, a little more than that.

The whole experience was a learning curve for Oz as well. All his life he been taught that humans were to be either hated or feared, no in-between, and yet here you were going against everything he had ever been told. You were funny, smart, interesting and more kind to him than he could say for some of his fellow monsters. In return, Oz tried his best to be the same for you. Someone is you could trust and rely on, and then as your relationship grew together, someone you could take comfort in.

Oz himself never really had many needs that need to be catered to. There were points where he would enter a weird state of depression, unsure where to take his life now that he had been exiled from the Monster World, and though it was difficult for you to be empathetic, you tried your best to offer him the same level of comfort and companionship that he so often gave you. Ultimately your relationship was one of the best you would ever been in, and though there was some adjustments to be had along the way, so far it has proved itself to be more than worth it.

So why did it all have to go wrong?

\---

One night you were heading home from a night class along mostly abandoned pathways. On trails like these, Oz companies you on your way home, the protection he provided allowing you to travel without fear. The end of the semester was approaching however, and Devon had not forgotten about you… After the last few months you had been taking every chance possible to reject him, sometimes even doing your best to humiliate him in the process, and he had had enough.

You and Oz walked into a small courtyard where plants and leaves alike grew wild from lack of care. Despite the creepily abandoned look to the place, there was a quality about it that you found something like romantic in the emptiness of it, filled only with yourself and Oz. Except this time, it wasn't _just_ the two of you.

“Well well, look who it is... If it isn't Miss _too good for you!_ ”, Devon jeered obnoxiously, for once unaccompanied by his friends. 

You froze in place, completely taken aback, unprepared for the encounter. Devon began to advance, but you collected yourself in seconds. Whatever he was here for, obviously it wasn’t going to be good, but he didn't stand a chance against you _and_ Oz… “Get lost Devon.”, you pushed him aside as you continued on your way.

Your arm had barely grazed his shoulder when he spun around, taking hold of you. “I’m not going _anywhere..._ ”, he growled. You froze, before trying futility to pull your arm free, panic rising in your chest. As soon as you had started jerking, Devon used his grip against you, slamming you against the brick alley wall as you _screamed_. 

Oz had been watching the scene from the shadows. At first, he figured you had Devon handled, as usual, but now… “You really don't want to do that”, Oz got low and sprung from the shadows, throwing his supernatural strength into a shoulder check that knocked Devon down and away a few feet from you.

“Oz, _get out of here!_ ”, you pushed yourself off the wall and grabbed onto Oz’s bicep. As graceful as you were for the rescue, you didn't want to risk putting him in danger. 

Oz growled before gently pushing you behind him, “No, _you_ go!”, he turned his gaze back to where Devon was beginning to get up, “I’ll catch up.”

“I see you brought your friend again”, Devon laughed, coughing from the hard landing. 

_Again?_ What was he talking about? Before you could formulate a question, Devon answered it for you. “What, you don’t think I haven’t seen that thing slinking around stairwells and your little ‘secret hideaways’ with you? Do you know how hard it’s been keeping everyone else away from you? Now there’s just one thing in my way…” 

You gasped as the realization hit you. Of course your own personal, most devoted stalker would be keeping tabs on you _whenever_ possible. But you were so _sure_ you weren’t meeting with Oz unless you were alone… Apparently, you were wrong. 

The distress was written all over your face as Oz interjected in the conversation, “ _Hey!_ Leave her out of this! It’s me you want, right?”, Oz turned to look at you again, trying to get you to leave, but you shook your head ‘no’ and pulled on his sleeve to run away with you. 

“Oh, don’t worry. I do.”, Devon pulled out a flip top cigarette lighter, and flicked it open, admiring the flame as he spoke. “You know, I’ve been doing a little extracurricular studying… Have you ever noticed that most monsters share _one,_ same weakness?”, Devon turned his gaze to Oz, smiling maliciously.

Oz faltered for a second, as if coming to a realization that hadn’t yet reached you. And when it did… It came too late.

Before either of you could react, Devon threw the lit lighter with an almost practiced precision, hitting Oz square in the chest. In that one blindingly quick second, came the worst moment you would ever experience in your life.

Before your very eyes, Oz went up like an oil fire, erupting completely and instantly in flames. You screamed, and jumped back, feeling the most helpless and terrified you had in years. Alongside your own shriek of terror, came the most horrific, otherworldly sound you had ever heard. A skull-splitting screech unlike any survival horror monster in either game, movie, or TV show known to you had ever uttered, erupted deep within your brain. Oz thrashed wildly, burning alive, as smoke and a smell somewhere between burning rubber and tar filled the air around you, before he vanished completely in a wisp of smoke.

“Ha! I can't believe that _worked!_ ”, Devon laughed, completely unremorseful of what he’d done. 

You turned and ran. You ran faster than you ever had in your entire life. 

Oz was gone. Just like that. 

You weren’t even aware of Devon chasing, _screaming_ after you. His voice snapped you back to reality as you realized he was gaining on you. You tried taking as many twists and turns to get away is you possibly could, breathing hard and now fearing for your life. You turned a final corner, praying you had lost you attacker. Taking advantage of the break, you stopped to catch your breath, bending over only to find yourself racked with sobs as tears streamed down your face.

Oz sacrificed his life for you. _Why?_ Why would he _do that!_ Unless… You straightened up, a revelation dawning on you that, a few weeks ago, you would’ve been more than happy to come to terms with, when powerful arms grabbed you from behind, one hand over your mouth to silence you. 

“Finally!”, Devon huffed, breathless, “I've been looking forward to this…”, Devon leaned his body weight against you, holding you to the wall with an iron grip. You bucked and screamed, gagging on Devon’s hand, but it was no use. Fresh tears of hopelessness and fear streamed down your face. Devin spun you around his grip moving down... 

Trying to focus anywhere but the horror that was about to play out in front of you, your tear blurred vision caught sight of a dark shadow slowly begin to close in. Before you could register what was happening, it loomed over Devon like a giant wave of Ink.

Devon followed your transfixed stare to being over his shoulder, horrified as he stared death in the face. Devin opened his mouth to scream, as it was flooded with the watery darkness of the shadow. He stumbled backwards, swatting at the shadow as if that would fight it off, while it continued to fill every orifice it could find, choking and gagging as he drowned. You slid down, huddled against the wall watching the horrifying display as Devon flailed, straining to get away, until finally he collapsed to his knees and then the ground, forever still.

As he laid still, the black shadowy mass that had sent him to his fate suddenly morphed into the shape of a young man, kneeling over top of Devon's body, before rolling off him and laying limply on the cold stone of the alleyway.

“Oz?”, you dared to hope as you surged toward to the shadowy figure. You came to just a few inches in proximity before you were able to get a good look at what was left of him. It was in his nature being comprised completely of shadow, so it was always difficult to make out what he _really_ looked like, but as you saw him now, he was clearly changed. Anything that could have been interpreted as healthy skin or fleshy deposits had now been stripped away, thanks to the embroiling flames from earlier. 

Oz’s yellow sweater, the very same that you loved to give him hell for, was scorched black and almost completely burned away, revealing his now emaciated body. His cheeks were now gone, replaced with the gaunt remnants of a face, barely covering some of his teeth, which peeked through his skin. Patches of his hair were missing, along with his adorably thick eyebrows. 

You reached out a tentative hand, daring to touch him as you held back tears. “Oz?”, you called to him, voice cracking with desperation. You gently moved his head to your lap, trying to comfort him. He wasn’t going to make it. Oz took in a wheezy, labored breath, and opened his mouth as if to say something to you personally, but the effort proved too much. Oz’s head lolled over to the side, the white light of his eyes completely fading out.

You sat in the dark, stunned. 

The guy who had been haunting your nightmares had now become the man of your dreams. He was your best friend, but more than that, you loved him and a part of you honestly believe he loved you too. The stress of the situation was too much. You shook him gently, then a little harder, as if he were merely asleep. Nothing happened as you returned him back to his place on the ground, shaking your head. 

For the first time and longer than you can even remember, you screamed, howling as your emotions overwhelmed you. 

What were you supposed to do now? You were racked with body shaking sobs as you leaned over what remained of your shadowy friend, just as his body slipped away as if exiting reality itself. “ _No!_ No no no…”, you pawed desperately at the charred remains, trying to hold on, but it was too late and you were left clawing at nothing but air.

\--- 

when Oz woke, he was surrounded by monsters, and lying face up in bed. But… This couldn't be. He couldn't be back in the Monster World, he had been _exiled!_ Aside from that, for all intents and purposes he should be dead right now. Though, clearly that wasn't the case. What was going _on_ here?

Oz turned his head to the side, trying to get a better view on who was with him, and was greeted by the Dean looming over his bed. “Congratulations Mister Phobos… While I can't say I expected your final test to go quite like this, the good news is… ”, The Dean paused, as one of the faces on his hand choked out a sheet of paper and spat it on Oz’s chest. “You've passed.” 

Oz blinked rapidly. He… _Passed?_ And if he was back here in the monster realm, then they took him back? Just like that? No… “How?”, Oz barley managed to sputter out. 

“Look kid,” a sharply dressed monster spoke up, holding what appeared to be a clipboard of documents. “We have standards to meet here. We can’t just let there be humans running around unafraid, so _someone_ had to scare her. It took a little, uh _motivation_ ,” he nodded to the Dean, “And, a little unconventional means of scaring her, but hey the jobs done!”

‘The _Job?_ ’ Here he was, pulled back from the brink of death after saving the only person to show him some genuine kindness, _love_ even… and these two were telling him it was all just a scheme to, what, _get their numbers up?_ Meanwhile, you had been left behind in the human realm, mourning his ‘death’.

The Dean prattled on about Oz’s next steps to finally graduating, and how proud he was for being able to not only maintain his University’s 100% scare assignment success, but _also_ to have turned out a student who was finally able to break the scaring drought of _her_ , as he called you.

As the Dean went on, Oz felt conflicted. On the one hand, from what he was hearing, his enrollment at the University hadn’t been tampered with and he was now a hair's breadth from graduating, a life dream that had meant so much to him. But, on the other hand… He had been tricked. Thrown to the wolves with a temporary vulnerability that had almost cause him his life. Not just that, but he now had a _new_ “vulnerability”, _you._

Back when he had first been ‘exiled’, Oz felt like it was the end of the world. Exiled monsters almost never had a happy ending. Either they lived in hiding, becoming legends to the humans, or they were hunted down by ‘special agents’, to be locked in a lab, and never seen again. Naturally Oz couldn’t help but envision such a fate for himself, and yet… He had managed to avoid anything like that, all thanks to you. Still, there was the worry that came with shacking up with a human, but even then you proved to him that things didn’t have to be like that. This age old, monster vs human conflict. 

Hell, in light of the current information he’d received, you'd treated him even better than his own kind. Besides, the whole situation barely even made sense to him. After all, back there you hadn't been scared _of_ him, you were afraid _for_ him! Oz huffed. On second thought, he supposed that the nuances of human emotion were far too complex for these two to _possibly_ understand… 

For a split second, Oz felt as if the the answer was obvious. His own people had stabbed him in the back, meanwhile you had shown him some proper respect that he could never get from other monsters. In that moment, Oz wanted nothing more then to leave this all behind and go back to you and tell you how he felt, once and for all… But the urge soon faded, as it was replaced with a new, nagging thought, _Should he?_ He could _want_ to choose you all day, but that doesn't mean he’d be good for you.

A human and a monster? Maybe there was a reason relationships like that didn’t happen. Besides, he was sure you didn’t feel the same way…

Ultimately, Oz decided to stay in the monster realm and complete his graduation. Thanks to his own biology, and some monster specific medicine, he was able to make a full recovery from the burning. Even if he now was little overly cautious around open flames then before. 

Back in the human world, you finished your own degree, all while dodging the mess that was Devon’s ‘mysterious death’. After all the trauma you endured, you were now more fueled than ever to help others with their own problems, as you tried your best to push your own out of your mind. Though you made peace with Oz’s ‘death’, you never could move past him, a small part of you stuck on what could've been.


	5. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, one non-cannon epilogue for my awesome readers, as promised! I know this took forever and a day, especially since it's kinda short, so sorry but without further ado, enjoy some all grown up Oz.

It had been nearly 10 years since Oz graduated from Monster University, and during that time he had been traveling all over, profiting off his success as one of the scariest monsters known to man. Meanwhile, you had been spending your time getting ahead in the psychology world, working your way up to the top, until you were promoted to head practitioner in a leading firm. 

But, despite your efforts to bury yourself in your work, nothing seemed to be able to distract your mind from _that_ night, back when your entire world turned upside down.

Likewise, Oz had thought about you just as much. Every day that he couldn’t wake up with you like he did back in your apartment was torture, and he missed you _desperately._ There were a couple times where he wanted nothing more than to go and visit you. Maybe just stop in and say hello. _At least,_ let you know that he was still alive. For all those years, the feeling kept nagging him, the thoughts always returning, but there was always something holding him back. The tension built and built, until one day… He was going to do it. 

After all this time, he was coming back to you.

\---

The day started off as normal. You got up, got dressed, and came to work for a long day of solving other people's problems. That isn't to say you didn't enjoy your work, quite the contrary in fact. But sometimes all the sadness of everyone else’s world had a way of catching up with you, making some days, days that you didn't want to go in at all. 

Today was one of those days. 

You sat in your office watching the rain pound against the window, casting shadows all around the grey room. You stared off into the storm, all the pain of your own past trouble adding tinder to the already burning flame of gloom and the grip it held on you. Lost in your emotions, you wiped a stray tear from your eye before catching yourself. Not here. Not now. You turned back around in your desk chair to face the door, trying to recapture your professionalism. You blinked a few times trying to clear your blurry vision, centering yourself. And as your vision cleared, that's when you saw... Him.

Standing awkwardly, off in one of the dark corners of your office, stood a very familiar silhouette. Lanky as ever and still sporting that sunshine yellow cardigan, was Oz himself. 

Nothing much had changed, except for a few minor things that came with monster maturity. He was certainly taller now, maybe even a little more spindly, his face ever so slightly more gaunt, not as round and childish and you remembered it. His fingered hands seemed stretched out, and now tapered into sharp, shadowy claws. Even his “hair” had changed. Of course, it was still hard to make out, but the tussled, fluffy outline was long gone and in its stead was some kind of slicked back style, giving him an over all serpentine look.

You gasped, flailing slightly, as you rolled your chair back from your desk, plastered to it.

Oz tensed up guiltily, clearly not intending to have instilled such a reaction. Granted it wasn’t entirely his fault, you supposed. It _had_ been a while since you’d seen him last, and in that time he’d definitely grown far more… _Scary,_ for lack of a better word. Now truly resembling something like fear itself.

You sunk into your chair, shocked. Ever since he had saved your life years ago, you had done all you could to forget the horrific sacrifice Oz had made for you. For years you had just assumed the worst. And yet, here he was, alive and well. 

Oz phased forward a little, hands shoved in his pockets, and took a look around your high end office, “So… I take it things are going well?” He laughed uncertainly, voice rumbling with a crushing, otherwordly deepness, as he awkwardly tried to initiate a conversation. Apparently his voice had changed too.

A hundred emotions, some of which you couldn’t even describe, coursed through you. _He was really here._ You jumped up from your chair, tears of sudden and pure joy streaming down your face, as you bolted over and threw your arms around him. Your head came barely above his shoulders as you nuzzled your face into his chest, feeling his lithe muscles tense beneath the surface. You sobbed against him, nearly a decades worth of pent emotions bursting forth. 

“God, I-I thought you were _dead_ ”. You pulled away, one hand hiding your quivering mouth.

Oz relaxed a little, wilting at the sight of you. “I know,” He dragged a perfectly smooth finger across your check, drying your eye. Oz stuttered for a moment, failing to find the words to tell you everything he wanted to say over all these years.

You held his firm hand in its place against your check as you gathered yourself. “Then why…” Why _what?_ Why did he never say anything? Why come back now? Why did he _leave?_ You opened your mouth, breathing deeply as you tried to find words of your own, equally speechless.

“ _I’m sorry_ ”, Oz leaned in, his face tilted down, avoiding your gaze. “I was so _afraid,_ but I didn’t mean to upset you… I just thought you’d be better off putting it all behind you.”, he turned, still looking away.

 _Better?_ You barked a small laugh, “Oz, I’ve missed you _every day_ since you left”. You smiled despite yourself. The statement was true enough, sad as it was, but it felt _so_ good to finally get it off your chest after all this time.

Oz froze in place, uncertain that he’d heard you right. You _missed_ him? Half the reason he’d stayed away in the first place was that he was afraid you wouldn’t want him back! Had always just run with the mindset that he was nothing but a monster to you. Yet here you were, pressed against his body, _crying for him,_ and the time wasted apart. 

Oh, how could he have been so _stupid?_

You squeaked in surprise as Oz wrapped his arms around you, making a late return on your embrace from before. “I missed you too.”, he pulled away, but remained close enough to fix you with his sincere gaze. “Staying away all that time… It _killed_ me.”, Oz paused curiously. He looked away, avoiding your gaze, “I-I never got to tell you… I _loved_ you.”

No sooner had the words hit your ears, then your heart felt as though it would drop out. With a single, gentle hand, you reached up to turn Oz back to face you, “ _Loved?_ ”

Oz held your gaze for a moment, confused. Then, it was washed away by the same shy awkwardness that you fell in love with in the first place. “Er, well- I mean… I uh, I never stopped, I guess. I just didn’t think that you’d want… That we could….”, he fidgeted as his speech petered out before failing him completely. 

All this time apart, just because he thought you wouldn’t want him? He had proven himself a better friend and companion to you than any other boyfriend you’d ever had. All along you’d thought you were just one of those people who were destined to be alone, but… What if you’d just been looking in the _wrong place?_

“Wow, you know I thought you knew me a little better than that…”, you couldn’t help but laugh. “Oz, the time I had with you was some of the best days of my life, and when you left… I thought it was _for good._ To tell the truth, no matter how many other guys I’ve been with, I couldn’t stop thinking about how they just _weren’t you._ ”, you paused and then sighed, “I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m glad you came back, even after all this time, and… _you don’t have to leave._ ”

The tiny whisper of your final statement touched Oz’s ear like a symphony, it was so beautiful to hear. _You_ wanted _him_ to… stay? Oz backed up a single step, unsure. No, this was _wrong._ Humans and monsters don’t just _coexist,_ let alone _lay,_ together. And yet… These were the very words he had been waiting, _dreaming,_ of hearing. You _wanted_ him, just as much as he had wanted you for the last several, tortuous years. 

Maybe, it was time to _forget_ the old ways. 

“No, please wait! I didn’t mean to come off like that, it’s just… _Please don’t leave m-_ ”, All you saw was Oz step back, and it sent you into a panic, terrified that you’d upset him and he’d phase away to God knows where again, leaving you with nothing but radio static fizzling in your ears. 

Oz closed the distance between the two of you, quickly cutting off your pleas. You didn't need to be afraid ever again. 

You gasped sharply, simultaneously feeling breathless and yet as though your lungs would burst. Oz’s long, spindly fingers laced through your hair, pulling you firmly into a hungry kiss. Reality itself seemed to warp and shift around you as you experienced a euphoric rush of complicated, seemingly opposing sensations. A chill that screamed down your spine infecting your bones, yet a warmth that spread outward from your stomach to your fingertips. Anxiety like tension that felt like a vice around your heart, yet an ecstasy that felt like you were floating.

In a mere heartbeat, you kissed him back, feeling as though you were melting into one another as years of separation were finally ended. In that very moment, all your fears subsided. 

He wasn’t going anywhere.


End file.
